The Role
To be responsible for the planning, organisation and management of School’s infrastructure, technical services and all aspects of workshop and laboratory management. You will also be a member of the School Executive Board and will actively contribute to the School’s Strategy and ensure plans and objectives are implemented within their own area of work. This role will have a number of crosscutting responsibilities, line managing the technical line managers technical managers and academic staff.
For informal enquires please contact Jay Bartlett, Head of Technical Services ()
Key Accountabilities
Strategic Planning
1. To act as a member of the School Executive Board and contribute to the strategic planning of the school, in partnership with the Head of School Operations
2. Maintain and update technical expertise and knowledge of relevant legislation in order to contribute to the development of School policies and procedures to ensure that all legal and university requirements are applied within laboratories/ workshops and other work areas
3. Planning, design and advice on technical services and facilities required for the School, including provision of its equipment. The organisation of bulk and project purchasing and management of allocated budgets (e.g. common user equipment)
Technical Services Management
4. Ensuring satisfactory maintenance, through direct liaison with Equipment Suppliers, Service Engineers and Services consultants
5. Assessing forward needs of the School in respect of allocation of space, equipment, plant and integration of this into existing facilities through consultation with the Head of School, Head of School operations and relevant academic staff. Working with the Faculty team in relation to infrastructure improvements, efficiencies, the designing of laboratories/ workshops, refurbishing laboratories/workshops and upgrading existing laboratories/workshops and
6. Operational management of a designated technical area including all staffing related requirements
7. Line management (including recruitment, development, performance management) of technical staff within the school Planning and implementing work schedules for technical staff ensuring an effective and flexible use of human resources
Staff Management and Development
8. Develop a professional technical service by providing strong team leadership and management support which is guided by the University Success Factors. Lead the development and delivery of a robust operational plan for the team, with clear objectives and priorities
9. Overall responsibility for all technical staff within the School including recruitment of high calibre staff, Pay Review assessments and managing any people related matters. Direct line management of key senior technical staff to include performance and development (Conversations and priorities)
10. Responsible for ongoing professional development of the technical team to include the organisation of relevant training, support with individual professional registration and support with attendance at professional networks (e.g. NU TechNet). Liaison with the Faculty team to ensure the effective co-ordination and development of technical staff on apprenticeship and training schemes
11. Gather relevant data including feedback from stakeholders to ensure work conducted by the team is monitored and effectively evaluated. This analysis is to be imbedded into a plan for continuous improvement as well as informing plans for staff career development and team succession planning
12. Planning and implementing work schedules for technical staff ensuring an effective and flexible use of the team and our estate
The Person
Knowledge, Skills and Experience
13. Excellent communication skills with the ability to motivate staff, implement change and remain calm and diplomatic in difficult situations
14. Evidence of project management and delivering projects on time and to budget
15. Excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills and IT literacy
16. A thorough working knowledge of relevant health and safety legislation
17. Significant recent experience in a senior technical role, from a STEM or Engineering discipline.
18. Experience of managing multiple laboratories/ workshops within a large organisation
19. Evidence of successful leadership, staff management and team building
20. Demonstrable experience of managing and developing individuals and organisations
21. Proven ability of establishing, reviewing and monitoring technical and administrative systems
22. Experience of working collaboratively with stakeholders at a senior level, within an area of STEM / Engineering
23. Ability to work across boundaries and coordinating communications across complex organisations
Attributes and Behaviour
24. Uses systems and tools to ensure records and audit trails are clear and up to date
25. Uses clear, concise and accurate communication, tailoring the approach accordingly and encouraging a two-way communication process
26. Focuses team and departmental development on wider organisational aims and objectives
27. Understands and makes sense of complex or conflicting data and different perspectives of stakeholders and University areas/faculties/etc.
Qualifications
28. Educated to degree level or equivalent relevant experience
29. STEM background
Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.
We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.
At Newcastle University we hold a Gold award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC. We are a employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.
In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe.
Requisition ID: 28927
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